killing (ˈkɪlɪŋ
)
Definitions
adjective
- informal very tiring; exhausting ⇒
a killing pace
- informal extremely funny; hilarious
- causing death; fatal
noun
- the act of causing death; slaying
- informal a sudden stroke of success, usually financial, as in speculations on the stock market (esp in the phrase make a killing)
Alternative Forms
ˈkillingly adverbSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
murder,
massacre,
slaughter,
execution,
dispatch,
manslaughter,
elimination,
slaying,
homicide,
bloodshed,
carnage,
fatality,
liquidation,
extermination,
annihilation,
eradication,
butchery,
1kill1 (kɪl)
Definitions
verb (mainly tr)
- (also intr; when tr, sometimes foll by off) to cause the death of (a person or animal)
- to put an end to; destroy ⇒
to kill someone's interest
- to make (time) pass quickly, esp while waiting for something
- to deaden (sound)
- informal to tire out; exhaust ⇒
the effort killed him
- informal to cause to suffer pain or discomfort ⇒
my shoes are killing me
- informal to cancel, cut, or delete ⇒
to kill three lines of text
- informal to quash, defeat, or veto ⇒
the bill was killed in the House of Lords
- informal to switch off; stop ⇒
to kill a motor
- (also intr) informal to overcome with attraction, laughter, surprise, etc ⇒
she was dressed to kill
his gags kill me
- slang to consume (alcoholic drink) entirely ⇒
he killed three bottles of rum
- sport to hit (a ball) so hard or so accurately that the opponent cannot return it
- soccer to bring (a moving ball) under control; trap
- See kill oneself
- See kill two birds with one stone
noun
- the act of causing death, esp at the end of a hunt, bullfight, etc
- the animal or animals killed during a hunt
- New Zealand the seasonal tally of stock slaughtered at a freezing works
- the destruction of a battleship, tank, etc
- See in at the kill
Word Origin
C13 cullen; perhaps related to Old English cwellan to kill; compare German (Westphalian dialect) küllen; see quellSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
slay,
murder,
execute,
slaughter,
destroy,
waste,
do in,
take out,
massacre,
butcher,
wipe out,
dispatch,
cut down,
erase,
assassinate,
eradicate,
whack,
do away with,
blow away,
obliterate,
knock off,
liquidate,
decimate,
annihilate,
neutralize,
exterminate,
terminate,
croak,
mow down,
take (someone's) life
bump off,
extirpate,
wipe from the face of the earth
=
destroy,
defeat,
crush,
scotch,
still,
stop,
total,
ruin,
halt,
cancel,
wreck,
shatter,
veto,
suppress,
dismantle,
stifle,
trash,
ravage,
eradicate,
smother,
quash,
quell,
extinguish,
annihilate,
put paid to,
Quotations
"Kill one man and you are a murderer. Kill millions and you are a conqueror. Kill all and you are a God"
"Thou shalt not kill"
Bible: Exodus"Thou shalt not kill; but needst not striveOfficiously, to keep alive"
Usage examples
He didn't know what made him say it:'I knew the wife, the one who did the killing.
, YESTERDAY'S SHADOW (2002)A deadly alliance of two of the world's biggest health threats is killing many thousands of men in India, researchers have revealed.
New Scientist (2003)Despite their victory, Laois will not be happy with their performance, never succeeding in killing off the Wicklow challenge.
Irish Times (2002)Two air force rescue helicopters were sent out but one crashed on take-off to return to base, killing two.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Alinor hates people picking her flowers -- they're trouble enough to grow without killing them.
, THE LADY AND THE UNICORN (2003)